Breakfast + Lunch = Brunch
Wake up and smell the mimosas! Oklahoma Gazette’s annual brunch guide proves that a successful egg hunt doesn’t have to involve the Easter Bunny. By Jacob Threadgill Cover by Kimberly Lynch
Cover Story
Bunches of brunches
If brunch were an Olympic sport, it would be the biathlon. It mixes marathon meals with the excitement of fighting a crowd the same way the biathlon mixes the endurance of cross-country skiing and the thrill of rifle shooting. OK; maybe that’s a stretch, but our brunch guide will help you have a plan for…
Addressing needs
Rents have increased rapidly across the United States housing market, including Oklahoma City, which has long been praised for its low-cost living. Even in one of the nation’s more affordable cities, an increased demand for affordable rentals, flat millennial homeownership rates and stagnant incomes lead to an affordable housing crisis. Add that more people desire…
Gaming decision
In February, a ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the arbitration agreement in the Oklahoma Model Tribal Gaming Compact, calling it unenforceable. It’s a verdict that leaves both Native American tribes and the State of Oklahoma unclear how to enforce an aspect of the compact that enables tribes to operate…
Chicken-Fried News: Passing probs
We at Chicken-Fried News tried warning you that you won’t be able to cruise in the left lane on the Interstate in Oklahoma anymore — not after a new state law went into effect at the end of 2017 that forbids motorists from traveling long distances in the left lane of a four-lane highway. According…
All grown up
If you visited okgazette.com last week, you undoubtedly noticed the online version of Oklahoma Gazette quietly received a massive upgrade. Everything you need, including dramatically improved restaurant and event listings, is all there and easy to reach. It also just feels good, and I’m confident you will not feel nostalgic for the old version of…
Chicken-Fried News: High-fives?
Lawmakers do deserve a pat on the back for passage of the first legislative state tax increase in 28 years. Educators and public employees deserve praise for applying pressure to get the two parties to reach a compromise and ultimately put up the votes to approve the revenue package. With that said, Chicken-Fried News has…
Chicken-Fried News: Board games
The relationship between educators and the elected officials who set the rules and budget with which the educators operate has always been a little strained. But when was the last time Oklahoma saw the two sides so polarized? As Oklahoma City teachers were preparing to strike and business-minded lawmakers cried extortion, Rep. John Bennett, the…
Saving breath
Jim Heath no longer delivers his embellished, fiery Southern Baptist-style sermons during Reverend Horton Heat shows, but it’s not for a lack of things to say. The psychobilly king — who has combined elements of blues, punk, surf, roots and rock ’n’ roll as the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the Dallas-based rockabilly…
Reel wranglers
A new player is stepping into Oklahoma City’s film culture arena, and it looks to be one tough hombre. The new nonprofit Rodeo Cinema announced plans to renovate the theater space that houses Centennial Rodeo Opry, 2221 Exchange Ave., to bring an independent film theater to Stockyards City. Rodeo Cinema is a sister theater to…
Advocacy alert
After spending nearly a year campaigning on the effects of tough-on-crime policies that have packed the state’s prisons and jails to the bursting point, largely with Oklahomans suffering from addiction and mental health problems, Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) leaders felt confident that the two ballot measures they put before state voters in the…
Motion pictures
Most Americans are likely unaware of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s film work, and even fewer dare even attempt to pronounce the contemporary Thai filmmaker’s given name. But for those entrenched in the world of art-house cinema, the past winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or prize at Cannes Film Festival is a genuine superstar. Weerasethakul, often…
Footprint expansion
When Nadia Jubran traveled to Oklahoma City from upstate New York to visit a friend, they signed up for the Foodie Foot Tour, a bimonthly guided tour through different OKC neighborhoods that combines history, food and libations. “When I thought Oklahoma, I wasn’t thinking I would I have the best culinary experience, but…
Chicken-Fried News: In dependence
No matter where on the national gun debate spectrum you fall, you have probably noticed a fair amount of resistance to proposed control measures, especially within Oklahoma. Aside from constitutional concerns involving the Second Amendment, a general state reliance on the gun industry certainly plays a role in that defense. According to a newly released…
Young voices
Politicians love to say that kids are the future and that nothing matters more than helping them be safe, happy and prosperous. Now the kids are talking back, telling politicians they just want to survive. After the latest “new normal school shooting” (kill, grieve, pray, repeat), the script was as predictable as it was pathetic:…
Fast track
After a decade of discussion around City Hall and among the public about building a modern streetcar system for Oklahoma City, downtown streets are showing all the signs that soon, the sleek colorful streetcars will glide through. In the downtown core and Midtown, pedestrians and drivers travel over rail tracks. In Bricktown, which will see…
Gazedibles: Fresh wheels
Keeping track of the city’s food trucks can be difficult — there seems to be a new one every few weeks. With the help of the Oklahoma Independent Food Truck Association, we’ve compiled a list of seven of the best food trucks in the metro area to open in the last year. By Jacob Threadgill…
Hidden identity
Artist Ebony Iman Dallas has made it her life’s mission to learn as much about her birth father and his story as possible. She never had the chance to meet him in person, as he was killed by police before she was even born. There are many bits of information she has been…
Pop life
Downtown’s annual Metro Music Fest has built a reputation for bringing in enticing headliners. Guided by Voices headlined the free festival last year. Other past performers include Moby, Dan Deacon and Chic’s Nile Rodgers. But the names on this year’s bill might just take the cake. The Revolution, known as Prince’s band through…
Just walk
As the executive director of Uptown 23rd District, Amanda de la Torre has a lot of love for the urban district that’s burgeoning with hip restaurants and shops, trendy coffee joints and a renovated theater that has become the place in Oklahoma City to catch live musical acts or rewatch a cult-classic film. Each spring…
Chicken-Fried News: Moving forward
Let the debate begin! That’s what we all thought when we saw the recent Oklahoma Supreme Court decision in favor of Restore Oklahoma Now, Inc., ruling that their initiative petition — State Question 795 — seeking a public vote on whether to increase the oil and gas production tax was “legally sufficient.” Oklahoma Independent Petroleum…
Chicken-Fried News: Lioness intrigue
Outside of the case of the congressional tracking device, perhaps the biggest mystery to Chicken-Fried News has to be the case of the lioness Bridget at the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden that attracted national attention for her unusual mane. The zoo announced that “The Curious Case of Bridget’s Mane” was solved late…
Deep cut
Oklahoma will soon hire a private contractor to crack down on Medicaid fraud, identifying people who might no longer be eligible for the low-income health program and sending recommendations for benefits cancelation. It’s unclear how many of the nearly 800,000 Oklahomans, most of whom are children, would lose health care coverage under the new law,…
Shine on
Since opening almost exactly a year ago, Aurora Breakfast, Bar & Backyard has become a beacon for locally sourced brunch and savory options at its prominent Plaza District location at 1704 NW 16th St. Owners Aimee and Jeff Struble have found success in real estate, owning the building that houses Aurora and a…
Next Issue: This year’s restaurant week supports Allied Arts’ efforts to promote art and arts education
P. 13 OKC Restaurant Week is back! This year’s restaurant week supports Allied Arts’ efforts to promote art and arts education across the state. By Jacob Threadgill Cover by Jim Massara
